The fatal crash of the motorcycle journalist Kevin Ash is officially unexplained. But there is evidence that the type of BMW he was riding may have had a fault

Almost four months after one of Britain’s most experienced motorcycle
journalists died in a crash near Cape Town, South African police are still
baffled as to how he was thrown from a motorcycle on a straight, empty road
with no other vehicle involved.

The death of Kevin Ash remains a mystery, but the unusual circumstances have
prompted questions about a possible fault with the type of motorcycle he was
riding, the latest version of BMW’s flagship model, fitted with advanced
software.

There were no witnesses to his death, but other riders on the road-test trip
say he was the most cautious and safest of the group. Evidence is now
emerging that the £11,395 bike had a tendency to lurch violently in some
circumstances, with a risk of the rider being thrown off — as happened to
Ash.

The R 1200 GS has already been recalled in America and Canada for adjustments,